I know this isn’t much of a recipe, but crudités are actually a surprisingly important part of a meal — especially if you’re serving little finger foods to munch on before Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, I have a few thoughts for you to keep in mind.

First, color is key. Choose a variety of different veggies in bright, vibrant colors — red and yellow peppers, orange carrots, green broccoli and asparagus. I seriously detest celery, so it never shows up on a platter when I’m hosting (supermarkets always include it in their pre-made selections because it’s cheap, at least that’s my guess). I added some cut cheese and spicy smoked chorizo, and served all of it with hummus and homemade butternut squash dip (recipe to come!) — absolutely delicious.

Second, make sure to blanch any veggies that aren’t at their best raw — broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, and even carrots will be prettier and more delicious after a minute or so in boiling water.

Last, I like to sprinkle a little sea salt over the veggies — sometimes plain vegetables can be a little bitter, and the tiniest bit of salt really helps. Prepare them this well and you may not even need dip to go with them!